


It Will Come Back

by trashmouthtozier666



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Camp Slasher Fic, Character Death, Established Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Fluff, Hickeys, M/M, Making Out, Recreational Drug Use, Reddie, Reddie being dumb and in love, Shotgunning, Smut, Stenbrough, Teasing, my god are they gay and stupid i love them sm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 23:29:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21005948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashmouthtozier666/pseuds/trashmouthtozier666
Summary: A Summer Camp Slasher Fic‘Eddie wasn’t exactly in love with the idea of them staying in decrepit old cabins, spending their long-awaited summer in the middle of the woods trying to repair broken diving boards and tyre swings but Mike’s friend Richie did offer to supply them with all the alcohol they needed to get through, and a sneaky handjob if desired so what was he going to say? No?’The losers are fresh out of high school and ready for whatever their long awaited hot summer will bring. Partying? Romance? Getting high? Adventures? Sex? But doing all of the above while trying to survive a string of brutal slasher style murders in the middle of the deep dark woods definitely wasn’t at the top of their list.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Hozier’s song of the same title xoxo  
Disclaimer: I did not write this to kill off characters for my own pleasure. I love all of the losers but this is simply the nature of a slasher fic baby. But if that kind of thing upsets you please don’t read on!! Take care of yourself mwah
> 
> The losers are all 18 and it is set in the present day.
> 
> It’s mostly fluff and smut Reddie, fluffy Stenbrough, and background fluffy Benverly  
I hope you guys enjoy please let me know I’d appreciate it a lot 🥺

The car jolted along the winding forest road, eating it up like spaghetti. The boys were grateful for the shade of the huge pine trees that blocked out the blistering sun. With every rock they drove over and every jerk of the car, the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror swayed back and forth like a hypnotist’s watch. The group had originally thought it would be a great idea to take advantage of the miraculous weather they’d been blessed with and to go make the most of it together. So they swapped out their bikes for Mike’s old, beaten up, excuse for a car and hit the countryside, but they were quickly enough regretting it.

While Ben was stretched out in the passenger seat with his sneakers propped up on the dashboard, the other two boys were crammed into the backseat with their legs folded to their chests, groaning and desperately trying to fan themselves with maps and old brochures. Stan’s sweaty skin brushed against the leather seats, as he attempted to separate his thighs that had become sticky between his shorts, and he yelped in pain.

‘Mike how much longer are we going to be stuck in this death trap? It’s so fucking hot,’ Stan whined.

’Yeah, this seat belt has been sizzling my skin for over two hours now. I think I’m pretty much branded for life,’ Eddie joined in.

Mike was too busy squinting in an attempt to decipher a road sign up ahead to pay attention to the boys complaints. They were already an hour late and the hazy weather wasn’t helping.

‘I don’t know why you guys are complaining, we’re supposed to be enjoying the good weather,’ Ben remarked, squeezing suncream from a bottle into his hand, before applying it to his already reddened cheeks.

‘Well you won’t be enjoying ito too much when you get sunstroke, strawberry shortcake,’ Eddie replied.

Ben sighed, frowning at his burnt reflection staring back at him in the mirror.

Stan swatted Eddie with an old pamphlet but nothing could rub the proud grin off his face, amused by his own remark.

Mike suddenly swerved to the left and Eddie hissed as his tender skin was squashed against the scorching glass. He wasn’t even sure why he had agreed to come on this trip. It was Mike’s idea really. Something about an old friend from Derry needing help with re-opening a summer camp? Mike saw it as an opportunity for them to have a ‘wilderness adventure’, as he called it, and Eddie was sure Mike’s “friend” saw it as free labour.

He wasn’t exactly in love with the idea of them staying in decrepit old cabins, spending their long-awaited summer in the middle of the woods trying to repair broken diving boards and tyre swings but Mike’s friend did offer to supply them with all the alcohol they needed to get through, and a sneaky handjob if desired so what was he going to say? No?

‘A-ha’ Mike practically yelled, breaking Eddie’s thoughts. ‘Found you, motherfucker!’ He swerved to the right, sitting up straight in his seat. A strange sense of exhilaration washed over the boys and they followed suit, suddenly reinvigorated with the promise that they would soon be out of the sweltering car, and in the sweet, cool waters of the lake.  
Eddie cranked down the window as fast as he could and stuck his head out, his hair blowing in the breeze like a dog, the cooler air greeting the back of his throat pleasantly. He gazed at the camp in the distance. The car rolled slowly past a sign, tied with two red balloons, yellowed with age, and slightly crooked in the sun-cracked earth, that read:

WELCOME TO  
CAMP FUEGO  
EST. 1976

Eddie looked at the sign in awe for a moment before he felt a pair of hands grope him by the hips, and yank him back inside the car, screaming with laughter. ‘You’re gonna get your head cut off, dumbass,’ Stan yelled, but he was grinning ear to ear. His hand travelled down over Eddie’s thigh, dancing off of his knee, then rested back in his own lap before looking up and winking at him. Eddie swallowed a little —if this was any premonition of the rest of this trip, he was really in for it.  
They pulled up in front of the main cabin, the tyres throwing up dust from the parched earth. The boys tumbled out of the car, desperate to fill their lungs with fresh air, gravel crunching under their feet.

‘Think they got air conditioning in this place?’ Ben asked, dusting the crumbs, from the animal crackers he ate on the way there, off of his shirt.

‘Ben I’d be surprised if they have running water,’ Stan sniggered.

While the rest of the boy’s headed for the trunk of the car to gather their belongings, Eddie stopped to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. He bit the inside of his cheek and glanced around.The main cabin was surprisingly new looking, its door freshly painted a bright shade of yellow, nails driven tightly into each board. The other cabins weren’t so lucky. While they had been made somewhat habitable, they still looked far from cozy or what Eddie considered ‘glamping’ (a word that made him want to go hurl behind the nearest tree).

The pebbled path leading to the main door was lined with plants and flowers of every variety. It was a shame that they were all dead. Eddie bent down to examine a fern and watched it crumble and turn to dust in his gentle hand. He sighed and stumbled his way around to the back of the car, his legs still slightly numb from the long drive there.  
It was still terribly hot, with the sun now beating down on their heads and necks, but it was already a mile better than being inside that steel hotbox. Eddie grabbed his duffle bag, and closed the trunk with a slam.

‘Well, looks like you won the bet, Bill,’ somebody drawled. The weary group paused to look up, squinting against the harsh sun in the direction of the voice. Richie was leaning against the cool wall of the cabin nonchalantly. He looked up from the notepad in his hand for just a moment, his glasses glinting in the light. Eddie adjusted the bag on his shoulder unsteadily. He scanned over the taller boy, the air catching in his throat briefly.

‘Mhm, s-seems so,‘ came another voice. The boys hadn’t even noticed the other boy standing in the shadows of the huge oak tree next to the cabin. Bill ruffled and adjusted his slightly damp hair before flashing a wide smile and laughing at Richie.

‘Thank God, too, because they’re actually kinda hot. Would have been a total shame if they had got lost and went ‘Lord of the Flies mode’ on each other at the side of the road like I thought,’ Richie added. Bill smirked back at him, lifting up his sunglasses to sit on top of his head.

Stan and Eddie shielded their eyes from the sun in order to get a better look at the two. ‘Nice to meet you guys, too?’ Stan said dryly, while attempting to size up their company for the next few weeks, scanning over what was exposed of their sun kissed skin.

Richie was returning the gaze, but his eyes kept flickering to Eddie, back and forth, Eddie to Mike, Mike to Stan and then landing back on Eddie. Eddie cleared his throat gently and gripped the hem of his poloshirt in a futile attempt to pull it down. He could feel himself being undressed with his eyes.

Suddenly Richie switched his focus to Mike. ‘Long time, no see, man,’ Mike announced. The two moved towards each other and embraced with smiling eyes.

‘Thanks for coming all the way up here dude, means a lot,’ Richie replied, taking the other man’s bag and throwing it over his own shoulder.

‘Awh no biggie! We’re gonna have a good time anyways. Wait… Aren’t there supposed to be seven of us?’ Mike asked, taking a step back to observe his surroundings and recount.

‘Yep, Bev is inside getting stuff ready for the barbecue,’ Richie explained. ‘She’s the only one of us I’d trust to not set themselves on fire. Everyone’s cool with Hotdogs?”  
Richie watched the boys all nod in unison, his eyes lingering on Eddie a little longer than the rest.

‘Sorry but can I get, like, a soda or a beer or something? It’s hot as balls out here,’ Stan asked, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

‘C-Course,” Bill replied, grabbing a glass bottle from the cooler at his feet and leaving his spot in the shade. The condensation droplets on the bottle glistened in the sun, soaking his palm. Grabbing a bottle opener from his back pocket, he opened it and smiled as he passed it to Stan. Stan’s eyes met his for a moment before they trailed down to his lips and lingered there for a moment. Bill noticed and smiled at this. Growing slightly embarrassed, Stan looked back down at the ground before putting the cool glass to his own lips, and taking a long sip of his beer.  
‘Seems kinda gay if you ask me,’ Richie whispered to the rest of the group. The boys grinned and nodded in agreement.

The group was led inside, all of them relieved to be in the shade. They even had some fans turned to full speed, which were probably the most modern things in the entire building—maybe the entire camp.

‘Home sweet home,’ Ben said, tossing his bag onto the floor and reclining himself on the couch. He put a hand over his eyes delicately and sighed.

‘Wouldn’t get too comfortable,’ Richie announced leaning over Ben. He noted that Richie smelled of summer - freshly mowed grass, cigarettes, and wood varnish. He had obviously been outdoors working on the camp all day. ‘This isn’t your cabin. We’ve all got our own little homes, isn’t that so sweet? But right now they all smell like rat shit. We’ve got a lot of work to do,’

‘Sounds like you’d feel right at home, Eddie’ Mike declared dryly.

Eddie almost retched at the thought of it. ‘God, I hate you, assholes.’

‘Yeah, our boy loves getting his hands dirty,’ Stan added, and the boys collectively started to wheeze with laughter.

‘Oh I’m sure he does,’ Richie replied, winking in Eddie’s direction.’

‘Richie, at least wait 5 minutes before trying to get into our new helper’s pants,’ someone barked. Everyone turned to see Beverly exit the kitchen, a tray of condiments in hand.

‘It’s okay to admit you’re jealous Bev. I mean, I really can’t blame you,’ Richie replied, gesturing to himself.

Beverly gave him a sharp kick to the ankles and watched as he hopped over to steady himself on the couch letting out a chorus of ‘fuck ouch fuck.’

‘Nice to meet you,new kids, I’m Beverly. Food should be ready to go in an hour or so.’

‘Puh-Perfect, thanks B-Bev,’ Bill said, reentering the room with a beer in hand.

‘Don’t have too much fun without me,’ she replied, smiling at Ben who immediately blushed under her gaze.

Richie led the group through the kitchen to the back door, and out into the acres upon acres filled with cabins and plants of every colour.

‘I know you guys must be fucking exhausted, but unlucky for us, we’ve got a lot of work to do around this shithole before we re-open, and we’ve only got a couple weeks til then. So we’re just going to go fix up the dock. You guys can all swim, right?’

‘Yeah, course,’ the group murmured, slightly out of sync, Eddie a little more hesitant than the others.

Eddie couldn’t keep his eyes off of Richie as they approached the shore of the lake. He was hot shit and he knew it. Tall with a jaw-line that almost had Eddie reaching for the band-aids in his fanny pack. He noticed the taller boy’s large hands and could already feel them around his throat, and for some reason, it drove him crazy. Shaking his head to clear it, Eddie sat on the bank of the lake, the soft grass pleasantly cool on his thighs, beneath the large willow tree behind him. Staring at the lake hurt his eyes, with its sun glinting and reflecting off the waters, but it was hypnotizingly beautiful. Either that or the sun was melting his brain. Both were equally likely.

‘Hey,’ he heard Richie whisper, and was jerked out of his trance almost immediately. The curly haired boy gazed down at him with a smile before he sat down next to him, his shorts riding up slightly. ‘Not coming skinny dipping with me then?’ Richie asked. ‘Not in a million years. There’s probably a hundred and one diseases in that water and I am not taking my chances.’ Eddie replied, sternly. Richie paused for a moment, glancing over at the slightly green tinged water. ‘Fair point… So what brings you to this crack den of a camp? It really was a crack den for a while in the seventies, d’you know that?’

Eddie laughed and adjusted his hair so that his eyes were more shaded. ‘The same reason everyone else is here.’

‘Sex?’

‘No,’ Eddie felt his face heat up. ‘Well maybe that too but…’ he trailed off, giggling nervously. He knew that his cheeks had already turned a soft shade of pink, the embarrassment from this making him look even more flustered.

‘Mike asked us to come help you guys out with setting up stuff. Couldn’t say no to 3 weeks of battling off spiders with bug spray, and eating canned soup, now could I?’

Richie let out a deep laugh, placing his hand on Richie’s thigh. He scanned over the boy’s prominent veins and chipped black nailpolish. Eddie’s nerves seemed to calm down instantly. Richie’s presence made him feel slightly intimidated but safe, that is, as safe as you can feel in the middle of the deep, dark woods.

‘Mike’s a really good guy. Honestly, he’s like a brother to me… Well like a brother you drunk make out with every once in a while… A brother with benefits you could say?’ Richie said winking.

Eddie let out a genuine laugh. ‘You’re disgusting, man.’

‘Oh I can be a lot worse than that… If that's what you want, baby?’

Eddie stopped laughing.

Richie looked down at the smaller boy, his gaze trailing down to his lips.

‘Hey Homos! Stop being gay and get over here!’ Stan called from the lake. He was kicking up water and splashing Bill who was desperately trying to maintain his balance, giggling like a schoolgirl.

‘Alright, Alright,’ Richie half-sighed half-laughed while getting up. He dusted off and adjusted his shorts and made his way towards the water. ‘So who’s coming swimming with me?’

‘Mmm, I’m s-s-sure P-Pennywise will!’ Bill called back, earning a laugh from Richie.

‘Who the hell is Pennywise?’Eddie asked. He stood up a little too fast and put his hands on his hips, obviously feeling left out.

Richie went slack-jawed and stopped in his tracks to stare in Eddie’s direction. ‘You fuckers don’t know who Pennywise is?! Do you guys even know why this place was closed for so long?’

’Oh my God, would you just tell us!” Ben demanded. He had moved himself to sit down on the rocky shore.

‘Pennywise was this evil clown motherfucker that terrorised this camp way back in 92’. He started off as a rumor, a terrifying tale told around campfires but that Summer, the campers realized he was more than just a scary story. Kids started going missing. Other campers claimed they spotted a clown dragging them through the woods. The councillors, of course, put it all down to the overactive imaginations of 8 year olds. That was until what Pennywise would call his pièce de résistance. He slaughtered the entire camp in one night.’ Richie’s face was stone cold serious, his brows furrowed, lips pursed. He continued,

‘But not before completely fucking with them, shapeshifting into nightmarish creatures like huge fucking spiders, torturing the group, feeding on their fear. Ripping their bodies to ribbons, leaving them to choke on their own blood, well at least until he feasted on the rest of their flesh.’

‘What the fuck? That’s actually sick,’ Stan murmured, sitting down in the shallow water, covering his mouth with one hand and wrapping an arm around his knees. It was only then that the boys noticed the cool breeze that spread out through the trees and across the lake. Eddie was a little shocked; he had never seen his friends so deeply perturbed. He shivered, taking a puff of his inhaler. What had they gotten themselves into?

‘Uh-huh. When the police arrived the next day there was no one left. Just a river of blood and bones trailing into the woods. Pennywise was never seen since then. It was like he just vanished into thin air…’

Richie walked back towards the bank, towards Eddie, and sat down. He leaned in close to him but whispered loud enough that everyone could hear. The vibrations gave Eddie goosebumps all over. ‘Some people say he is still out, searching for more innocent campers to take, to use, to kill, to fulfil his sick desires,’

The boys were all quiet, looking around at one another, before Richie and Bill collapsed in a wheezing fit of laughter. Bill kicked his legs and fell back into Stan’s lap, who stiffened up and winced slightly. ’Oh my God, you guys are such pussies!’ Richie screeched. ’You—Eddie, your face!’

’You’re one nasty bitch, Tozier,’ Mike said through gritted teeth before pulling his shirt off and making his way to the water. ‘Oh, you haven’t even seen how nasty I really am, darlin,’ Richie purred. Eddie shifted and tilted his head back in a desperate attempt to collect himself.

‘C-come on. Let’s go actually enj-j-joy ourselves instead of talking about s-some demon Clown, huh?’ Bill announced, smiling. He got off of Stan’s lap, stood up and took off his vest, throwing it onto the dry pebbles that lined the shore. He winked, snapped the waistband of his underwear, then ran and dove into the lake. Stan quickly followed him.  
Richie yelled with excitement and bolted up, running to the water while trying to avoid tripping over sticks and stones ‘Wait up! You sluts better let me see you suck each other off over there, or I’m gonna need a refund.’

Eddie watched with an insatiable hunger as Richie removed his shirt with one swift movement, letting his hands run through his hair as he watched the boys move through the hazy water. God, how he wanted to feel Richie’s fingers run through his hair, play with it, wrap it around his fist, pull it. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes before swallowing with some difficulty at the image in his head. He sat there for a minute, letting the warmth of the sun wash over his face before reopening his eyes.

He thought about pinching himself when he saw Richie dive under the water before reemerging, hair dripping, the light illuminating his skin. He looked like a God. Well a 5’10 kind of lanky God but Eddie didn’t care one bit. Richie left the water, laughing to himself and making his way towards the dock. Eddie closed his eyes again, shaking his head to clear it and crossing his legs. He didn’t know if this was his wildest dream or his worst nightmare.

‘Hey, are you comin’ in?’ Stan asked, shaking off the water from his hair and eyeing Eddie curiously. He seemed to be aware of what he was thinking.‘Oh, uh,’ Eddie’s eyes flickered from Bill and Mike splashing in the lake to Richie, who was now beginning to untie a rope around the docks. ‘No thanks, man. I’m gonna go help Richie.’ Stan smirked knowingly and then shrugged. ‘Suit yourself.’

Eddie sighed, gazing wistfully as he watched Stan jog down the shore towards Bill splashing and diving in the cool waters, then stood up, smoothed his shorts and made his way towards the dock.

Richie was kneeling on the old wooden planks that looked like they could fall apart at any moment. ‘You know you’re gonna have to actually get in the water to help with this right, Mr. Germaphobe?’ Richie asked smirking up at Eddie.

‘Seriously? That is so disgusting.’ He paused before finally giving in ‘Fine but if I catch typhoid fever or something you’ll be hearing from my lawyer,’ Eddie sighed, kneeling down beside Richie. He flashed him a smile. ‘Well would you look at that! Already on your knees for me. What’s next? Calling me daddy?’ Richie laughed.

‘Shut up, you asshole!’ Eddie yelled, suddenly pushing Richie backwards into the water.  
Richie resurfaced, spitting out water and rubbing his eyes. Eddie was bent double laughing until Richie reached up towards him, grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him into the water with him. Now Richie was the one uncontrollably laughing as Eddie started to splash about trying to stay afloat. ‘I’m gonna get you back for that, fuckface!’ Eddie exclaimed before flipping his hair like a wet dog.

There was still a hint of laughter in Richie’s voice when he said ’Come on we’ve got work to do.’, grabbing Eddie by the hand and wading waist-deep into the water. They began to pull the floating dock out, and Eddie was strangely grateful for the break from the blistering sun and the cool water against his skin, the mud slipping under his feet. Maybe he could get used to this place.


	2. The Fun’s Just Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let’s spice things up a bit baby.  
Fluff and very light smut if you could even call it that  
Warning for character death in this one.

‘Gather ‘round, losers, it’s time to play!’

Beverly kicked her bag aside and grabbed a deck of cards from the coffee table. She sat on the floor and glanced up eagerly at the other boys, her eyes already glowing with mischief. 

After swimming for a while, setting up the docks, and eating Bev’s (slightly over-cooked) food, clouds had finally begun to roll in, cooling the air only slightly, but at least shielding them all from the sun on their walk back to the cabin. They were exhausted and dehydrated, but luckily there was enough alcohol in the fridge to keep them all refreshed and tipsy for at least a few days.

‘What’re we gonna play?’ Stan asked as he sat down next to Bill and rested his head on his shoulder. 

‘Strip poker, obviously. We can use bottle caps as chips,’ Bev smiled and passed a deck of cards to Richie. He began shuffling them and snorted.

‘Mmm, sounds boring. Can’t we just get naked all together, no games, nothing?’

‘Nice try, Rich. The poker is what makes it fun,’ Bev replied. She took off her sunglasses and slipped them into the collar of her shirt. ‘I’ll be happy to steal money from you losers and get a show while I’m at it anyways.’

For some reason that made them all blush.

Eddie took a sip of his beer and tapped his fingers restlessly on the wooden table. The sun was barely beginning to dip behind the mountains, leaving the sky all shades of pink and yellow, and he was finally realizing what he had really signed up for, though he didn’t exactly know how to feel about it. It wasn’t like he’d never been camping before or been left to his own resources but he didn’t exactly trust any of the others to know what to do if things didn’t go to plan. 

Suddenly there was hot breath on his ear that drove all of these thoughts out of his head. Stan’s hands snaked over his shoulders and wrapped around his chest, squeezing, gently trailing over his shirt. He traced his nails up Eddie’s arms and leaned down to press his nose against his neck, causing the smaller boy to inhale sharply. He could smell the alcohol on his breath and see Bill staring at the two of them out of the corner of his eye. 

‘You gonna play, too, babe?’ Stan whispered breathily, swaying. Eddie felt a jolt run up his spine and he clenched his bottle tighter. Stan continued to breathe against Eddie’s neck, ignoring the choked whine he attempted to pass off as a reply. 

‘Hey, leave the poor guy alone! If he doesn’t wanna play, you can’t make him!’ Ben called from the kitchen mixing himself a drink. 

‘Yeah, but we can make fun of him,’ Mike replied as he joined the other boys on the floor. ‘I mean, come on! Live a little Eds!’ Eddie laughed dryly and attempted to shake the feeling of Stan’s breath against his skin as he downed another swig of his beer. 

Richie was still shuffling and dealing cards, but when Eddie looked up, he could see him stealing glances at him and Stan. Stan was still hanging off of him, making kissy noises in his ear and rubbing over his chest.

‘You sure you don’t wanna play?’ he cooed.

Eddie was having difficulty saying no, with Stan’s hands traveling everywhere except where he wanted them to go, and his voice so breathy against his ear, but he knew it was really all just a show for Bill. The two had seemed to have bonded well over the past few hours

‘Right calm down, you perv. I’ll play, I’ll play.’ Eddie admitted defeatedly, but with a laugh.

But he could see Richie still glancing at them, and his eyes were almost wild. Suddenly, he turned to Bill, and pulled him straight into his lap, who yelped in surprise, then laughed. ‘Ww-what are you d-doing, Richie?!’

‘Wanna french me?’

Bill laughed again and threw his head back before wrapping his arms around Richie’s neck. ‘Wait, are y-y-you serious? Oh my God!’ Richie nodded and, without much more hesitation, Bill pressed his lips roughly against Richie’s cherry red ones. Eddie gasped and immediately felt his lower stomach explode with heat that traveled to the top of his head and the tips of his toes. He had almost forgotten Stan was there. 

But Stan had stopped what he was doing, too. He was staring at the pair with his jaw slightly agape. All of them were practically transfixed on the boys—even Bill found himself far more excited than he anticipated. Richie noted that he tasted of vodka mixed with something overly sugary. He bit and pulled on the other boy’s bottom lip and raised his eyebrows once they pulled away, and the others seemed to finally snap back into place. 

‘You are an attention whore in every sense of the phrase, Richie Tozier,’ Bev remarked, a hint of something in her voice, that could almost be mistaken for jealousy. Richie simply wiped a finger around the outline of his mouth before taking a sip of his beer. Eddie could have sworn he saw Richie wink at him. 

Stan huffed a little before pouting and declaring ‘Hey, That’s not fair!’

Richie draped his leg over the side of the couch and looked at Stan, beckoning him over with the cards in his hand. ‘You want some, too hm? Don’t worry, I understand, it’s natural, baby, You-’

‘Can you stop being a slut for one minute and just get back to game, Richie?’ Bev practically snarled. 

Richie huffed and sighed but continued to deal out the cards. 

Mike got up and left his seat on the couch to flip through the vinyls stacked on the overcrowded bookshelf, eventually picking out Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. After fiddling with a few switches on the turntable, and placing the vinyl on the B side there was a crackle and then ‘The Chain’ began to boom throughout the whole cabin. The melody weaved its way through every open door, up the spiral staircase and out through the upstairs window into the unpredictable night. 

The group began to sway to the beat, the alcohol unravelling through their veins, making everything seem lighter. 

Eddie stood up to make his way to the kitchen but a hand gripped tightly around his leg. 

‘Hey where’ya goin, we’re just about to start,’ Stan protested.

‘I’m just getting a drink, Calm down. Didn’t realize you wanted to see me stripped down so badly,’ Eddie replied, smirking before making his way to the kitchen.

‘Oh fuck you,’ Stan mumbled under his breath, shaking his head. Bill was attempting to suppress a giggle at Stan’s embarrassment. 

The beer had left a bitter taste in Eddie’s mouth, literally and figuratively, and he wanted to save his last bit of bubblegum for later. He whistled as he grabbed a glass (which he had to check had no cobwebs first) before grabbing some vodka. He dug around in the fridge and managed to find some mixers. Eddie’s cocktails could be considered a diabetic’s death wish. 

He wandered around the room, examining his new home for the next few weeks, as he sipped his drink. He could feel the alcohol go straight to his head, suddenly feeling dizzy but in the best way possible. He stopped in his tracks upon noticing a freshly baked cake sitting on the counter. Bev was just showing off at this stage. The cake was covered in white buttercream icing and a ridiculous amount of sprinkles and Eddie just couldn’t resist. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and dipped his pinky finger into the creamy icing before popping it into his mouth and sucking gently. He was reminded of birthdays spent in his back garden, water balloon fights and daisy chains, and any feeling of homesickness vanished.

Eddie dipped his ring finger next and paused instead of sticking it in his mouth, watching the icing begin to melt and drip down his finger with satisfaction before catching the drop with his tongue and trailing all the way up to the tip of his finger. 

“Wow. Who knew you were such a little tease?” 

Eddie gasped and jumped, turning quickly and nearly dropping his glass at the sudden voice. Richie stood in the doorway, leaned against the doorframe, hoodie discarded somewhere in the living room.

“Richie, you asshole! You scared me!” Eddie fixed his hair and nervously fumbled with his shirt, Richie’s eyes once again boring into him. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you,” Richie murmured as he stepped towards the brunette. “You really didn’t know I was there?” Eddie shook his head innocently. 

Richie smiled and flashed his blindingly white teeth. “So you just act like that on your own, huh Eddie Spaghetti? Licking up icing on your fingers and sucking on them, looking so pretty without even trying?” he purred. “That’s kinda hot.” 

Eddie’s stomach dropped and did a somersault. He felt like the wind had practically been knocked out of him but that may have just been the rush of the alcohol through his bloodstream. He chose to ignore the ridiculous choice of nickname. “I... you think so?” he breathed. 

“Uh-huh,” Richie slowly leaned closer to Eddie and placed his hands on the other boy’s hips. “Don’t you know that it’s rude to stick your fingers in other people’s food?” He slowly moved his hands up to his waist and Eddie could feel his dick twitch in his underwear.

Eddie wasn’t able to reply before Richie turned and dipped his own finger into the creamy icing draped along the edge of the cake. He held it up to Eddie’s plush lips, which opened obediently. He gazed through his lashes as Richie pushed a finger inside of his mouth. Eddie closed his mouth and sucked teasingly, running his tongue along the underside of Richie’s finger. He could see the taller boy shudder, just a little. 

Eddie could still hear the music playing softly in the living room, Stan and Bill giggling as they had probably inevitably lost the game and found themselves stripping down to their underwear, the rest of the group complaining that they were still starving, but none of that mattered to Eddie right now, not one bit. 

He pulled away with a soft “pop!” sound, his mouth still open and a small string of spit still connecting them. Richie gave him a dirty look before putting the finger that had just been inside Eddie’s mouth inside of his own and sucking off the remainder of the icing. 

The smaller boy felt like he was going to start shaking with need soon, if Richie didn’t touch him in some way. He wanted to beg for Richie to use him. He had never wanted something like that before, to be so viscerally dominated—he would probably let Richie do whatever twisted things he wanted to him. He had never let anybody have that kind of power over him before, especially someone he had just met a few hours ago.

All of these thoughts and more that raced through Eddie’s mind in such a short time and the rush of the alcohol made his head spin. But Richie was pulling away and winking at Eddie, who whimpered at the loss of contact. 

“I was just coming to get another beer,” Richie admitted as he dug through the fridge. “But, if you can keep a secret between us, you look so much better than anyone out there. And you’ve got all your clothes on....” 

Eddie pulled down his shirt again and blushed. 

“For now anyways…” Richie added, smirking devilishly before pausing in front of the other boy on his way out. 

“Come see me tonight, yeah?” He pressed a kiss to Eddie’s neck, then his jaw, and then his lips, lingering for a moment and swiping his tongue over them. Eddie nodded stupidly and Richie eventually pulled away. “Sweet like icing.” 

Then, as soon as he arrived, he was gone, leaving Eddie in the kitchen alone, confused, sexually frustrated and trying to repress any thoughts of where Richie’s hands may have been before this. He finished off the rest of his drink before placing his glass in the sink and returning to the game with the rest of the group.

Richie, as Eddie had quickly learned, had a strange talent for strip poker, and had managed to get almost everyone but him and Bev down to their underwear. Eddie could see him eyeing Bill once again and sighed. Was nothing sacred?

As Eddie stole a sip from Mike’s glass he saw Stan and Bill flirting with one another, exchanging light touches. 

“Well, I’m-m-m out,” Bill said, slapping down his cards and leaning back against the couch, his hands moving in an attempt to cover his Superman underwear. “I think I’m gonna head u-upstairs.”

“Oh?” Stan asked softly. He licked his lips not-so-subtly. “You think I might be able to join you? Y’know, just to hang out.”

Eddie could see Bill was stifling a smile. “Sure,” he answered coolly, but the excitement in his voice was still there beneath the surface. He stood, taking Stan by the hand, and pulling him upstairs. Eddie was relieved—if Bill had taken Richie upstairs, he might have just lost his mind from jealousy. He pondered inviting Richie to his cabin as well, but decided against it. He didn’t know how to ask, or if the time was right. 

“Well I, for one, am exhausted, I’m gonna head to bed, you coming, man?” Mike directed at Ben while getting up from the floor and throwing on his clothes. 

Ben quickly glanced at Beverly who was already passed out on the other couch, snoring quietly, her legs dangling over the edge, before he reluctantly pulled his sweater on over his head and got up. 

The boys exchanged long tight hugs, Richie giving Mike a quick kiss on the forehead. Eddie could feel his heart melt at the sight.

“Catch you bright and early,” Richie whispered, patting Mike on the back as he opened the front door. 

“Sleep well, yeah?” Mike replied to Richie, but his gaze stayed on Eddie. He knew exactly what was going on. And with that, the two boys said their goodnights and made their way to their cabin across the field. 

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Eddie called after them, his lips curling into a smile.

“Oh there’s much worse than bed bugs out there!” Richie added, laughing.

They watched the pair go until they became a small dot fading into the distance. 

The door had barely been closed behind them for a half second when Richie pushed Eddie up against it, their lips crashing messily. Eddie smiled into the kiss, drunk on the euphoria of finally getting what he wanted. Richie trailed his hand that had been cupping Eddie’s cheek down to his waist, deepening the kiss. To Richie’s surprise, the smaller boy pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, making him let out a staggered breath. Eddie giggled, satisfied with his reaction. 

“Oh, two can play at that game, Kaspbrat.”

He led Eddie to the couch before grabbing him by the waist and pulling him into his lap. He immediately attached his lips to his neck. Eddie’s hands went straight to his hair, tangling his fingers in his dark locks. It wasn’t long before Richie found Eddie’s sweet spot. He kissed it softly at first before sucking on it, leaving a mark that he knew he’d try to hide before inevitably complaining about it the next day over breakfast with the group. Relishing in Eddie’s reactions, he blew on the now sensitive marks, making him let out a whine. 

“Richie are we really gonna do this right here? Bev is sleeping over there, not to mention the fact that the boys could come downstairs any second and see..”

“Something the matter with that, Eds?” he smirked, trailing kisses down his neck

“Fuck. You’ll be the death of me, Tozier”

Upstairs Bill and Stan had already skipped the small talk, desperate for more than the light touches they had been exchanging all day. Their chemistry was both undeniable and incomparable. As cliché as it was, they fit together like puzzle pieces, and as much as Stan wished he could deny it, everything just seemed to make sense with this boy.

Stan raised his arms to allow Bill to remove his shirt, that was quickly discarded and thrown into the corner of the room, followed by Bill’s hoodie soon after.

Stripped down to their (batman and superman) underwear, Stan straddled his lap, waiting for Bill to make the next move. But he didn’t move. He sat for a moment, studying the faint dip of Stan’s hips he almost considered holy, and the love bites that were growing darker by the minute.

“What’s wrong, Bill?”

“N-Nothing… I just can’t believe we’re actually d-d-doing this. You’re like ff-fucking ethereal, Stan.”

“Oh just shut up and kiss me, you loser.” Stan said giggling, unable to hide his smile.

But then they noticed he wasn’t the only one giggling. They both looked up, like deer caught in the headlights. There in the doorway, stood Richie. Eddie was doubled over in the hallway in a fit of laughter. Bill grabbed the old raggedy blanket from the head of the bed and began fidgeting with it in an attempt to cover himself.

“Oh don't act like I haven't seen it all before, Billiam. No need to be modest now.” Richie laughed.

Eddie made a mental note to ask about that later.

Bill scowled, clearly embarrassed. Stan just smiled, winking at Eddie who had finally composed himself. He could tell that him and Richie had just been up to something similar.

“Those must be from the seatbelt earlier then, yeah?” Stan asked, holding in a laugh and pointing to Eddie’s neck which was completely destroyed with hickeys.

Eddie smiled at him knowingly. “Well I think the only thing we can say is…. Finally. I thought I was gonna find you two fuckingbehind the trees earlier to be honest.” he admitted, Richie agreeing between fits of laughter.

“Sh-Sh-Shut up. Get out!” Bill yelled defensively, picking up a pillow and flinging it at the doorway.

“We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Richie said before shutting the door, narrowly missing being hit by another pillow. Stan’s laughter was clearly frustrating Bill.

“Oh you’re n-n-ext, mister.” he said inching, towards him.

“Oh yeah? You want a rematch?”

“Fuck yeah.” he replied, pillow still in hand.

Richie and Eddie made their way downstairs, sighing and slumping down on the couch. Eddie snuggled into Richie’s side before Richie began playing with the boy’s hair, twisting it and twirling it between his fingers. He could feel the smaller boy melt under his touch.

“Sleepy?” Richie asked, watching as Eddie’s eyes opened slowly.

“kinda” he replied, knowing it was a major under exaggeration,

“You can stay here if you’d like? Or we could just fall asleep like this? I, for one, am very cosy.” 

Eddie’s heart fluttered at the thought, but he knew he couldn’t.

“I need to go back to my cabin, I left my phone there and I promised I’d let my mom know I’m safe and wasn’t in fact savaged by a bear.”

Richie laughed but understood. 

They both reluctantly stood up and Richie walked Eddie to the door. He pulled the shorter boy in close,enclosing him in a tight hug, resting his chin on his head. Eddie reached up on his tiptoes and Richie pressed a long kiss to his forehead. Eddie closed his eyes and smiled into his chest. He felt sleepy, safe, happy. They pulled away unwillingly and Eddie stepped out the door, Richie slapping his ass on the way out because ‘classy but trashy’ is practically Richie’s middle name. He stood there watching Eddie walk into the open night air, his heart sinking a little. 

Eddie was careful to avoid the tree stumps and rocks that littered the ground as he made the trek back to his own cabin. He could see the bulb he left on in his room casting puddles of golden light out the window and onto the grass outside. He was thankful his cabin wasn’t too far from Richie’s as a sharp breeze blew through the trees, making the hairs on his arms stand on end.

All feelings of safety, warmth and protection had suddenly disappeared. The noises in the trees made him flinch. He was encircled in darkness, only being able to see his cabin and the outline of the lake shore in the distance. But he swore he could feel a pair of eyes on him the entire time. He tried to shake it off. Told himself it was just his overactive imagination. 

He walked through the long grass, letting his fingertips trace over the wildflowers, the long tufts tickling his shins. For a moment he felt like he was in a dream, bounding through a meadow beneath a billion stars. He imagined Richie there, fingers entwined, his thumb stroking his as he dragged him along on a nighttime adventure.

But his soft and dazy thoughts were instantly wiped from his head. The crunch of branches underfoot, the brushing of the long grass. He knew it. Something was following him. He began to pick up his pace, running, stumbling to his cabin. He reached the door and fumbled with the keys for a moment before entering and slamming the door shut behind him. He seeked refuge under his duvet. 

(As if that was going to protect him.)

(What a fool.)

After a few minutes he mustered enough courage to leave the ‘safety’ of his bed and to look out the windows. He crept across the room, keeping his body hidden from view behind the net curtain. He peered out, his eyes half closed out of fear of what he may see, but was surprised to see absolutely nothing. No movement, No strange noises. It was dead. Empty Darkness. 

“S’just my imagination. Just my imagination. Pft, So fucking stupid” He laughed nervously to himself before grabbing a fresh pair of shorts to sleep in.

(Tut tut tut little Eddie. How naive.)

He stopped in front of the long mirror in the corner of the room, examining Richie’s handywork. He traced his fingers over the now sensitive marks that began at his jaw, trailing all the way down his chest. He was surprised to notice the fingertip shaped bruises that spread over his hips. He smirked to himself. As much as he denied it, and knew it was most definitely a health hazard he loved being marked like this, like he was Richie’s and Richie’s only, and he’d make sure that everyone knew.

He fell into bed, rolling over to unplug his phone. He opened the message app, clicked on the message tab for his mom and began typing.

**Mommy Dearest** 😇💕

**01:13 - Eddie:** Arrived safe and sound and haven’t been attacked by any wild animals.:) <3 Goodnight Mom, I love you.

**01:13 - Eddie** ** *** _ MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND _ *****

Eddie let out a sigh of confusion. Looking up at the top of his screen, he realized he had no signal. Great. He could already see his mom printing out the missing posters with his 5th grade photos. He’d need to talk to her at some stage just to let her know he was still alive. But that was tomorrow’s problem. With that, he turned off the light and closed his eyes, thoughts of a certain someone still swirling through his head. 

Mike didn’t mind leaving Richie and Eddie to their own devices. He really was tired and he was happy to finally see Richie with someone. He sunk into his bed, opposite Ben’s, like a cloud, not even bothered to change his clothes. He thought about what tomorrow might bring. Building treehouses, barbecues, swimming, drinking, making out , laughing. Wait… Swimming? 

“FUCK.” he whispered aloud. He never put out his swimming shorts from earlier to dry. He looked to the corner of the room where they sat, completely saturated along with his t-shirt. He cursed himself for not bringing an extra pair. He groaned and reluctantly got up from the comfort of his cotton-wool-like bed. He knew there was a clothes line near his cabin, just down by the lake. He saw Richie try use it as a stripper pole earlier. If he hung his clothes up now they would be dry by the morning, ready for another day of splashing about instead of doing actual work. He threw on some shoes and a jacket and dragged his weary legs outside and down to the washing line, laundry basket in hand. 

He looked back up at the main cabin in the distance and then his gaze switched to Eddie’s, thinking of the two infatuated boys. His cabin light was no longer on, and he knew his friend must have grown tired and headed to bed. 

The sheets on the clothesline flowed ominously back and forth, whipping violently against each other, making cracks that sounded almost like thunder. Mike wrapped his jacket around himself even tighter.

It was already pitch black but the sky seemed to darken with every step he took towards the sheets. The cold night air rushed over his skin, raising goosebumps all over.

“Jesus Christ” he whispered. Part of him wanted to just forget the whole thing and go back to the cabin, but the nagging thought in his mind was overcome by his commitment. 

He finally arrived at the line and began to unclip the laundry that took up all the space and whipped and hit him in every which way, occasionally blinding him and causing a slight panic until he managed to rip the sheet away from his face. 

Suddenly, he could hear a shuffling. He paused in the middle of taking off a sheet and stared off towards the forest. Was it the wind? No, no, they were most definitely footsteps. A cold chill ran through Mike’s body. He felt rooted to the spot. 

“Ben?” he managed. He started to laugh weakly. “Ben, is that you? Don’t sneak up on me!” 

No response. 

Mike swallowed and continued into the giant swarm of fabric. His ears were flooded by the sounds of the wind and the sheets, cracking and flapping around him, all he could see like they were the wings of death. 

“Ben?” he called. His voice broke now, and he was shuddering. “Eddie? Richie? Who’s there?”

Suddenly, a silhouette appeared behind the sheet directly in front of Mike. The figure loomed, silent behind the flimsy white wall. Mike, in contrast to everything his body was telling him, burst into a hysterical fit of laughter. Panic was flooding his senses and he suddenly felt like he could vomit, but he laughed. Suddenly the figure let out a low deep chuckle too.

(It’s Showtime, baby.)

A pair of long, sharp claws came slashing through the white sheet. The figure lunged forward, as Mike stepped back, managing to nick the boy’s cheek with the talon. Mike tried to turn away barely catching a glimpse of the figure in front of him. But he knew exactly who it was. ‘PENNYWISE.’ he screeched. The terrifying clown wielded a huge hammer, the type you’d see at fair or a carnival. He chuckled drinking in and relishing every drop of pure terror Mike exubed. ‘Where are your friends now, Mike? You’re all alone. Boo-hoo-hoo’ Pennwise mocked. Mike howls mingled with the screaming wind until Pennywise’s hammer came crashing down onto his head knocking him unconscious. His weak body crumpled and fell down into the dew-soaked grass, blood still pouring from his cut. Mike’s feeble body was dragged through the field, deep into the dark woods

(This is going to be fun.)

(So much fun. And this is only the beginning.) 

The clothes basket lay abandoned by the washing line, Mike’s shorts still soaking wet.

(Well it's not like he’ll be needing them anymore.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what u think ;) mwah


	3. Holy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beyond the prismatic meadows, and dream-like blossoming romances, evil still looms heavy.

Bev woke with a start, immediately aware of her surroundings. She couldn’t remember falling asleep but was thankful she wasn’t disturbed. Distorted images of last night flashed through her mind, stolen kisses, broken bottles, dancing with…Bill? No, it was one of the new kids, Ben. Yes… Ben. Licking her lips, she realised how dry and chapped they felt. She reached out to grab a glass of water off the coffee table, nearly falling off the couch in the process. Taking a long sip, and steadying herself before swallowing harshly, she scrunched up her face. Vodka. She let out a deep breath, and shuddered, adjusting to the bitter taste left in her mouth. She was all too aware of how her fingers itched for a cigarette. 

From the pale light that had weaved its way through the flimsy lace curtains, she could tell it was around 6am. She stood and immediately felt lightheaded. Grabbing her cargo jacket from the floor where it was abandoned last night, she slipped her hand into the right pocket to find her pack of marlboros and trusty orange ‘Derry’ lighter. She slipped the packet open, fingers trembling slightly. Six cigarettes lay against the white cardboard like a police lineup. ‘I swear I had seven last night. What the fuck?’ she remarked to herself. She tried to think back, puzzled, before she stopped. ‘Richie.’

Sure enough, there he was.

‘Stealing is a sin, you know that, Trashmouth?’ The early morning chill bit into Bev’s bones as she balanced a cigarette between her lips using one hand to cover it as she tried to get a spark. 

Richie parted his lips allowing a breath of smoke to mingle with the crisp air. ‘God just wishes he had the pleasure of smiting this ass, baby’

Bev nudged him with her leg, earning a laugh, before sitting down beside him on the porch.

‘Well what's got you up so early?’ she smiled, wrapping her jacket around herself tighter.

Richie opened his mouth to speak but was swiftly cut off. 

‘And do not say morning wood, I will beat your ass.’

Richie gasped. ‘I’m shocked you think so lowly of me. But also how well you know me.’

Bev let out a deep sign which made both of them giggle. 

‘Got a certain brunette shortie on your mind, huh?’

‘I’m sure I don’t know what you’re referring to, Miss Marsh.’

‘You’re blushing, Rich.’

‘Only cause I’m thinking bout your mom.’

To Richie’s pleasure, she rolled her eyes.

‘Seriously though, Chee. I saw you two eye-fucking each other all last night. And don’t get me wrong it's cute that you’ve found someone else to put your dick in other than your pillow.’ She laughed. Richie scowled. ‘But just be careful alright? You know they’re only here for the next few weeks. Don’t go falling in love on me or anything.’

‘Love? Ew, gross.’ Richie laughed, flicking his cigarette and crushing it with the tip of his shoe. Maybe it wasn’t love just yet. And as much as he wished it weren’t true he had spent the past hour out there trying to shake the image of a certain boy with big brown puppy dog eyes and freckles like the milky way out of his head. 

‘Mmm sure, Romeo Tozier,’ Bev passed him another cigarette which he took graciously between his lips, leaning in, allowing her to light it. They sat there, watching over their own little kingdom of viridescent hills and valleys, and the mist over the quiet lake, talking about anything and everything, (they didn’t call him Trashmouth for nothing), until the sky blossomed blue. 

The loud thumps echoed throughout the cabin and ripped Eddie from his peaceful slumber. He rolled over, pulling a pillow over his head, in an attempt to ignore the noise and cling onto the particles of dreams that still floated around his head. The early morning sun forced its way through the curtains and set the room alglow with beams of pure gold. The thumping didn’t stop. In fact, it got louder. Eddie groaned, bringing a hand to rub his sleep filled eyes. He reluctantly gathered the energy to roll out of bed, the oak floor cold to the touch. He followed the irritating sound and dragged his feet towards the door. One last harsh thump and Eddie turned the key in the lock and pushed on the handle. There before him loomed a tall figure, hair a mess, eyes bloodshot. 

‘Morning sleepyhead,’ Richie smiled. 

Eddie’s tired and grumpy display quickly melted, revealing a softer, sleepy version of himself. Richie opened his arms and Eddie practically fell into them, pulling the taller boy closer. Richie laughed softly.

‘Really missed me that much, huh?’ he smirked.

‘No, Gross.’ Eddie denied, pushing himself backwards out of Richie’s embrace. It was a pathetic defense.

‘Oh yeah I’m sure,’ Richie laughed, entering the room and seating himself on the edge of the bed. Eddie moved to the bathroom where he threw on a tshirt and made a nervous attempt to fix his uncontrollable bed hair.

‘Trying to make yourself look cute for me, hm?’

Eddie tensed.

‘It's too bad... I kinda liked the rough and ready look.’ 

‘Why are you even here, Richie? What time is it anyways?’ Eddie enquired from the bathroom before applying toothpaste to his toothbrush. The taste of fresh mint so early in the morning almost made him gag. 

‘Came to get you for breakfast. Its….’ Richie stopped to glance down at his watch. ‘8:44 and Bev wants to know if you want pancakes.’

Eddie rinsed his mouth and then stopped to think. He didn’t even notice Richie creep up behind him, his sudden appearance in the mirror startling him. 

‘She also wants to know who was poking fingers in her cake last night,’ Richie added, pressing a kiss to the back of Eddie’s neck. The smaller boy let out a staggered breath as Richie traced his fingers over the lovebites that littered his neck. He applied pressure to the marks and watched as Eddie pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and gripped the sink, his knuckles turning white. Placing his hands and on Eddie’s waist, he stopped to admire his handiwork in the mirror. He smirked devilishly before leaning down and ghosting his lips over the bruised skin.

‘Ugh You’re a little shit you know that, Tozier?’

‘Yeah sure and you can tell me all about it later when you’re begging for more, Kaspbrat.’

Eddie was ashamed that his knees nearly gave out at that.

Richie pulled away and turned towards the door.

‘Come on. Up and at em’ tiger. See you in 5.’

‘Y-yeah..see you in 5,’ Eddie managed to spit out, Richie’s phantom touch still rushing over his sensitive skin.

Richie winked before slipping out the doorway, leaving Eddie alone with his thoughts that he could not confidently say were entirely pure at that moment. 

Bill was woken by the rattling of pans in the kitchen downstairs, and the incessant goldfinch outside his window. He rolled over and half opened his eyes to get a glimpse of the alarm clock on the bedside cabinet. The red light burned figures of 09:06 into his hazy eyes. He groaned, turning back over and pulling the duvet tighter around himself but something lit up inside him when he noticed Stan next to him, still fast asleep. Thoughts of last night rushed around his head. He remembered finding himself repeating that he was going to regret everything in the morning, but he didn’t. Dawn seemed just as unpredictable and volatile as dusk around here and the thoughts of what today may bring more than excited him. 

He snaked an arm around Stan’s waist and pulled him closer, his body warm with sleep. He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of his neck. Bill’s stomach rumbled, disturbing the sleep filled silence.

Stan let out a groan, clearly not wanting to be awakened from his tranquil slumber. 

‘M-M-Morning Mister,’ he whispered, placing another kiss on the other boy’s neck. 

Stan grunted in reply, pulling the covers over to his side. 

‘S-S-Someone's d-definitely not a morning person,’ Bill remarked, smiling as he untangled himself from Stan, sat up and pushed his legs over the edge of the bed. He moved towards his bag and grabbed a fresh pair of shorts, a shirt, and some body wash.

He went to grab his phone off the cabinet but stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of Stan. The boy’s curls spread out against the pure white pillow like a halo. His soft breaths and content sighs like an angelic hymn. For a moment, he was sure that he must have dreamed him up. This was heaven. But he somehow made him feel like a sinner. 

‘Stop looking at me like that’

Stan’s sudden remark took Bill by surprise.

‘Like w-w-what?’ he asked defensively as if he hadn’t been caught red handed.

Stan just shook his head and smirked sleepily at him before rolling back over.

‘I’ll be...er...in the sh-sh-shower,’ Bill nervously explained. He was blushing. 

He briskly left the room and ran into the bathroom, almost tripping, distracted by thoughts of the angel in his bed.

The rest of the boys, who were sat at the table munching on fresh fruit and pancakes and drinking down big glasses of chocolate milk like they’d never see another, all paused to look up at Stan who had apparently emerged from hibernation. He stopped in front of them, and felt their eyes bore right through him, like a criminal before a jury. 

‘Sleep well, Stan?’ Ben sniggered. 

The group all joined in laughing.

Stan rolled his eyes. ‘Jealous. You’re all just jealous,’ he protested, grabbing a plate from the end of the table and filling it up with stacks of pancakes and strawberries before seating himself next to Eddie. 

The boys began chattering amongst each other once again.

‘So uh... you and Richie, huh?’ Stan whispered to Eddie, nudging him with his elbow.

Eddie rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his apple. 

‘I feel like we’re 14 again, playing spin the bottle under the bleachers. Writing love poems and getting stupid nervous over people we like,’ Eddie admitted with a laugh.

‘So you do like him then?’

‘I-’

Eddie was cut off when Richie entered the room, a bundle of ropes in his arms.

‘As soon as you assholes are finished stuffing your faces, I need help fixing up the tyre swings. Where’s Bill?’

Everyone turned to Stan, smirking. He looked up, syrup dripping from his lips.

They were suddenly interrupted by the creaking of the door upstairs and the shuffling of feet. Everyone’s focus quickly switched to Bill who had just appeared at the bottom of the stairs, adjusting his soaking wet hair.

`How kind of you to join us Billiam. I need you to help me outside. Now,’ Richie insisted.

‘I’m-m b-barely even awake Rich. At least let me get s-s-some breakfast,’ Bill pleaded.

‘Nope. Not stopping for breakfast... or kissing your boyfriend’

Bill shot him a glare.

‘Or throwing any more pillows for that matter. Okay, everyone outside we need to get started.’

The group got up from the table with a groan. Richie scanned over their stubborn faces, his own suddenly growing concerned.

‘Wait. Where’s Mike?’

They all looked at each other before realizing that nobody held the answer. Richie moved towards the front door, the others quickly following suit.

‘The cars gone,’ he announced, a hint of shock in his voice. The group all piled out into the yard, staring at the empty patch of gravel.

‘He must have gone to the store. He wasn’t there when I woke up and he was complaining all yesterday about how he forgot his pocket knife.’ Ben remarked.

‘But can you remember passing any stores on the way here?’ Stan enquired. ‘I’m gonna call him.’ he added, pulling out his phone from his back pocket, frantically unlocking it.

‘Don’t bother,’ Eddie sighed. ‘There's no service here I checked last night.’

‘Fuck.’ Stan said, locking his phone and shoving it back in his pocket, clearly frustrated. 

‘He’ll be back soon enough. Don’t worry,’ Ben assured. 

‘Yeah, right now we need to get back to work. Come on.’

By late afternoon tire swings had been hung, fences had been painted and flowers had been planted. The group found themselves exhausted, laid out in the meadow in an attempt to catch their breaths. Richie and Eddie were reluctantly sharing the newly built hammock. Stan was using Bill as a pillow while Ben and Bev lay with their arms tucked behind their heads, blowing kisses to the sky until it blushed pink. Meanwhile Stan was admiring the flecks of multi-coloured paint from earlier that stained Bill’s face like harlequin freckles. There was an agreed comfortable silence among the group. Nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling through the surrounding flora, and occasionally Richie and Eddie kicking each other. Leaves floated down from the trees above like confetti and landed atop their heads. But nobody cared. They were content to lie there in each other’s presence, thinking over the day’s events.

(They have no idea what's coming, poor kids.)

(It's almost pitiful.)

Bev was the one to break the peaceful stillness. She moved to her feet, to Ben’s dismay, and rustled her hair in an attempt to shake out the leaves. ‘I’m gonna get a start on dinner. Could you guys figure out the campfire? I think we’ve got marshmallows we can toast later on if you’d like?’

‘Fuck yeah.’ Richie replied, getting up. As much as Eddie would hate to admit it, he frowned at the loss of contact but when Richie offered his hand, Eddie took it and was quickly pulled to his feet. The rest of the boys soon followed after, dusting off their clothes and stretching their stiff limbs. 

They made their way in the direction of the campfire towards the lake. Suddenly Bill pulled Stan to the side, taking the other boy by surprise and pushing him against a tree. The other boys took no notice and continued the trek. Bill leaned up and pressed his lips against Stan’s, who eagerly kissed back. They continued for a moment, hands roaming, before Bill pulled away, leaving Stan breathless. He began to run ahead towards the group.

‘W-Well come on then,’ he shouted, turning around to face Stan, still smiling. Stan shook his head in disbelief and ran after him.

Glowing embers made their way up into the peachy sky, like fireflies. If it had been darker they would have almost been mistaken for shooting stars. The group were seated in a circle around the fire. Eddie wiped the sticky marshmallow from around his lips with the back of his hand before opening another packet and passing it to Stan. Richie was whispering something to Beverley that made her grin from ear to ear and made Ben frustrated, demanding they tell him what was so funny. The air was pleasantly warm and cocooned around them like a blanket, one they could easily fall asleep in. 

Richie stood up and moved towards Eddie and offered his hand which he happily accepted and fell into Richie’s embrace. Eddie pulled back and looked up at Richie, mischief in his eyes. 

‘Come with me?’ Richie asked but it came out as more of a demand. 

‘Where we going?’ Eddie asked innocently.

‘Never heard of the element of surprise, Eds?’

Eddie rolled his eyes. ‘Stop calling me Eds!’ he complained, taking Richie’s hand and moving in the direction of the lake.

‘Hey! where are you two going?’ Ben called after them.

The boys didn't reply, they just ran faster.

Ben sighed. When he turned back towards the fire Bev had disappeared. Oh great. Now he was stuck third wheeling. Stan moved and sat himself down beside Bill. He pulled a blanket over the two of them and placed his head on Bill's shoulder, Stan snaking an arm around the smaller boy’s waist. This felt familiar, like an action repeated so many times before. Like a bedtime ritual that had weaved its way into daily routine. For being outside, it felt strangely domestic. 

‘I’m worried about Mike’ Ben admitted.

‘He’s a big boy Ben. I’m sure he’s fine. Probably just went home for something,’ insisted Stan.

Ben shrugged, unsure of Stan’s words. He stood up, leaving the two infatuated boys to themselves, and strolled towards the lake. He kicked up dust and pebbles as he came closer to the shore, his mind already in a whole other world. 

‘Came to join me, new kid?’

He was startled by Beverly’s sudden appearance, almost tripping over himself. She smiled at him apologetically as he regained composure and carefully stepped down from the grassy dune to sit next to her. He noted how the light made her hair shine like amber, the kind the encased precious treasures and ancient secrets. His eyes drank in everything about her. The way her necklace lay against her stark collarbones. How her smile seemed to reach all the way to her eyes. Anything to distract him from the knot he could feel in his stomach.

She caught his gaze and smiled back knowingly. He switched to staring at the water that seemed to stretch out for miles and miles before them. ‘It’s… so..so beautiful’ he remarked. ‘I wish I brought my camera-’ His thoughts were disturbed as Bev stood up and without any hesitation walked straight into the water. The ripples washed over and kissed her ankles as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the tranquility consume her completely. And then she stopped. 

‘Come on, silly.’ she laughed reaching out towards Ben. He apprehensively laced their fingers, everything suddenly falling into place. She began dragging Ben in waist deep. Bev stood there wading through the water, calling out to Ben like a siren, to join him, and then to Ben’s surprise, pulled him in for a kiss. He felt like he was blushing all over, like the water had somehow swept him up and he was floating.

The late evening sunlight made the water sparkle like a sea of stars, pools of cosmos saturating their skin. They pulled back and fell into the water, letting it immerse them until they were actually floating. They stared up at the solero sky as it began to melt away, clouds dripping, revealing a star-spangled night. They occasionally splashed and Ben turned and stopped to admire the picturesque (and dare he say romantic) surroundings. He was falling. Fast. 

He turned back to smile at Beverly but to his horror, she was nowhere to be seen. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He rubbed his eyes, and frantically turned around and back searching for her. ‘Bev? Beverly?’ he called out, his voice shaking. A noise came from the shore that almost made his heart stop at an instant. He turned towards the bank to see the source of the sinister laughter. 

There stood Bev. But of course, it wasn’t really Bev. It was a twisted, and disfigured version of the girl. Her flesh was red raw and falling away to reveal her bones. But the smile never fell from her face. She lifted her hand to wave at him, menacingly. It felt like the whole world had stopped around him, even the breeze had paused allowing the girl to take centre stage. He was overcome with a paroxysm of pure fear. He waited for her to say something, or to wake up and find he was still asleep in the meadow, but nothing happened. That was until he felt a hand clasp around his ankle. He didn’t even get to take a breath before he was pulled under the water. He thrashed and kicked but couldn’t break free. He screamed out for Beverly, the real Beverly, water filling his lungs. His chest burned as he sank lower, the bubbles like fiery embers, until his body gave in. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! If you managed to read this far i commend ur patience and maybe i love you wow?? Please leave kudos and kind words i am ✨nearvous✨😳 thank you  



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